I joined a Meetup group for their monthly tour of Finch Arboretum. We saw turkeys, quail, and marmots, but no moose.

Today I joined a Meetup Group at Wilbur Trailhead to walk a section of the Centennial Trail through the State Park.

I took an side hike – the Bowl and Pitcher Loop – which took me closer to the river and to the suspension bridge.

I crossed paths with a foraging deer on my way back to my car.

I met my brother-in-law at the fairgrounds and we went through the Spokane Speed and Custom Show.

There were cars from the movie American Graffiti.

And some vintage trailers.

Today I joined a meetup group to hike Liberty Creek/Edith Hansen Loop.

This was one of the few days I’ve spent entirely at a hotel. It started with a long breakfast followed by a soak/mud bath/salt scrub.

Then some time by the pool with a good book before late afternoon soak/mud bath/salt scrub.

I packed, had dinner by the infinity pool, and got a few hours sleep before meeting fellow travelers for our 4:15AM airport transfer.

The drive from Petra took us through some amazing countryside.

We stopped at Wadi Rum for a 4×4 ride through the desert.

We arrived at the hotel on the Dead Sea in time for a soak, mud bath, and salt scrub before dinner.

Petra was amazing. Our hotel was across the street from the entrance. We had a guided tour until lunch, then we were on our own.

After lunch we hiked 900 steps to the monastery.

We also visited the Byzantine and Blue Churches

The Great Temple

The Petra Museum houses artifacts uncovered in Petra.

Our stop at Bethany took us to Elijah’s Hill (where Elijah ascended to heaven), the Jordan River, and the purported site of Jesus’s baptism.

Then we stopped at Mt Nebo with panoramic views, a small museum, and the Memorial Church of Moses which contains many mosaics.

Jerash is a third century city decimated by invasion and earthquakes.

Citadel

Theater

Woke up on the Nile, then headed to airport over Aswan Dam.

The temples of Ramses II and Nefertari (his favorite wife) were also relocated when the Aswan High Dam was built.

Temple of Nefertari

Last stop was for lunch on the banks of Lake Nasser – created by the Upper Dam.

Temple of Isis was moved was moved from Philae Island to Agilkia Island prior to completion of the Aswan Upper Dam in 1970.

Our next stop was at the granite quarry to see the unfinished obelisk.

After lunch we sailed on the Nile aboard Felucca sailboats.

Entertainment tonight was belly dancing and whirling dervish.

Morning sail to Edfu

The Edfu Temple, dedicated to Horus, the falcon god, is Egypt’s most complete temple. The outer wall shows scenes of Horus overcoming Set (depicted as hippo). Staircases imitate falcon flight: spiral to ascend, straight to descend.

Sailing to Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo was once home to thousands of Nile crocodiles. The temple here is dedicated to Sobet (crocodile god) and Harwer (Horus the Elder).

The Crocodile Museum holds mummified crocodiles and

Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Our final stop was Valley of the Queens where where the Pharaoh’s wives and adolescent children were entombed.

Sailing to Esna

After a night on the boat, we took shuttles across the river to start our tours.

The first stop was Colossi of Memnon.

The next stop was Valley of the Kings.

1. Tutankhamun

2. Rameses V/VI

Started for Rameses V but taken over for Rameses VI

3. Sety I

4. Siptah

5. Setnakht

The tomb of Tausert was usurped by Setnakht.

6. Sety II

This tomb was not finished – some decorations had only been outlined.

We flew to Luxor and started with a tour of Karnak Temple. The 1.7 mile long Avenue of Sphinxes has 1,057 sphinx statues and connects Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple.

Our afternoon tour was of Luxor Temple.

First stop today was a return to the Egyptian Museum.

Second stop was the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). This will be the largest archeological museum complex in the world and will display the entire collection of King Tut’s treasures. We had a guided tour of the restoration center (no photos) and, after lunch, the grand atrium.

The final stop was an evening tour of Muiz Street.

Our first stop this morning was Sakkara – the “cemetery” for Memphis and home to the first pyramids. The largest pyramids here are Step, Bent and Red (red limestone).

We visited the tomb of King Unas. The burial chamber is lined with limestone except the walls around the sarcophagus which are lined with alabaster. The west gable is inscribed with protective spells.

The mastaba (rectangular, flat-roofed tomb) of Princess Idut is famous for its depictions of everyday life.

Giza is home to the Great Pyramid (Khufu), the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure (originally covered in red, rather than white, granite) and several smaller pyramids.

We entered the burial chamber in the Great Pyramid.

Our last stop was at the Great Sphinx of Giza.

After breakfast four of us walked across the street to the Egypt Museum.

Canopic Jars – a set of four jars that held mummified internal organs. The organs were guarded in the afterlife by the four sons of Horus: Hapy (baboon) – lungs; Imsety (human) – liver); Duamutef (jackal) – stomach; and Qebehsenuef (falcon) – intestines. Canopic Chests hold the jars, and Canopic Shrines hold the chests.

Yuya and Thuya – the parents of Queen Tiye, grandparents of Akhenaten, great-grandparents of King Tut. Yuya was an advisor, and father-in-law, of King Amenhotep

King Tut – most artifacts cannot be photographed.

Nile River

Located on the Idaho side of the Snake River south of Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID, Hells Gate is the downstream entrance to Hells Canyon – the deepest river gorge in North America.